


The Goose

by flippyspoon



Series: Brightonverse [8]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-25 10:39:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2618795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flippyspoon/pseuds/flippyspoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas is in a bad mood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Goose

**1926**

Jimmy had left Thomas at the club when it closed for the night; grumbling over the books in his office.  Jimmy was very tired and it was three o’clock in the morning, but he didn’t go to bed, though he changed into his pajamas and dressing gown.  Thomas had been quiet and broody for the past week.  Jimmy had tried to coax out the trouble but Thomas was not forthcoming.

At the flat, Jimmy washed a few dishes and put on a pot of tea. The next day was Sunday so they’d be able to sleep in extra late.  He couldn’t put the gramophone on without waking Miss Collins across the hall, so he sat in the quiet with only the ticking of the mantel clock he’d bought Thomas the Christmas before.

It was  _too_  quiet.  Jimmy flicked through the newspaper for the tenth time and rubbed his eyes.  Things felt off and he didn’t like it.  He didn’t like Thomas being so blue and not saying why.  He hated the helpless feeling it gave him.  His insecurities welled up inside.

_Was it him?_

_Was Thomas bored?_

_Were things ending?_

He sat sipping tea and smoking until four o’clock when Thomas  _finally_ came home.

Jimmy rose as Thomas walked in, taking off his coat and looking up at him, dazed. “Oh.  Why are you still up?”

Jimmy stood blinking dumbly at his lover and best friend, holding his teacup.  He didn’t know precisely why. It simply hadn’t occurred to him to go to bed. Not when he knew Thomas was out of sorts and was going to come home that way.  Though it had been going on for days.

“I…don’t know,” Jimmy muttered.  “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” Thomas said tightly, and made his way upstairs as he took off his coat.

Jimmy left the tea things on the table and turned out the lights before following him up.  

“No, you’re not,” Jimmy said with a sigh.  He leaned in the doorway and watched Thomas strip out of his dinner jacket.  “Why’d you have to stay so late?

“I’m tired,” Thomas said.  He faced away from Jimmy as he put on his pajamas.

“Wait, come on. You’ve been off all week.  Is it…did I do somethin’?”

Thomas turned back around. He had dark circles under his eyes.  “Not everything in the wide world is about the great Jimmy Kent,” Thomas said.

That stung. Jimmy hated just how much it stung. “Well, fuck you too,” he said, trying to sound light about it, as if it didn’t hurt at all.  He followed Thomas into the toilet where he gargled and spat before glaring at Jimmy again.

“I know you’re having quite a lot of fun behind the bar holding court,” Thomas snapped.  “But you  _might_  have noticed that the club isn’t doing so well.”

“Of course I’ve noticed,” Jimmy said.  “But ya don’t have to take it out on  _me_ , I didn’t do anything.”

“Sorry,” Thomas grumbled. But it didn’t sound as if he meant it.  He didn’t say anything further either. He just climbed into the bed and turned over on his side.

Jimmy gaped at him a moment and said, “You’re not goin’ to sleep!”

“It’s four o’clock in the morning,” Thomas said.  “No…now it’s almost four-thirty actually.”

Jimmy knelt on the bed and crawled over to Thomas, crouching over him.  “It’s been a slow season is all.  Besides it’s only spring-”

“Schiller’s unhappy.”

“It’s that stupid new Starlight Club,” Jimmy said, scowling.  “It’s no good, ya know-”

“The people disagree.”

“I went in there!” Jimmy said. “The acts are rubbish and the dance floor’s too small.  They’re just goin’ ‘cause it’s new.”

“It doesn’t matter why.” Thomas turned over on his back and dug his wrists into his eyes. “Schiller’s unhappy with revenue. It doesn’t matter that there’s competition, there’s always competition. You do know that when he brought me in, he’d just sacked his other managers.”

“He’s not goin’ to sack you,” Jimmy said, rolling his eyes.  “He’s mad for you.”

“That only lasts as long as the money rolls in.”

“Then…then we’ll have a ball!  Or…new acts! Something special-”

“No, we won’t. That costs money. Schiller doesn’t want to spend money.”

“Well, how does he expect you to-”

“I don’t know!”

Jimmy sighed in sheer frustration and leaned on his elbow, resting his other hand on Thomas’s chest. “Well, I’m sure he won’t sack you.”

“Well…that’s very nice but it’s not up to you.”

Thomas closed his eyes and Jimmy stuck his tongue out at him.  “I love you but you’re a real goose sometimes.  I’m only trying to help.”

“Well, you can’t.”

“I could if you’d let me.”

“Really? Then tell me how to get people in the door without spending any money.”

Jimmy bit his lip.  “Eh… Slip arsenic in the drinks at The Starlight?”

“Not funny,” Thomas muttered and turned back over, as if he were going to sleep.  He reached over and turned out his table lamp so they were shrouded in darkness.

“You know what, fine then!” Jimmy barked.  He crawled under the covers and turned over on his side, facing away from Thomas.  “You’ve been awful all week.  You’ve been grumpy and  _rude_ , might I add.”

“Ssssh.”

Thomas wasn’t even sorry for it either. It only made Jimmy angrier and less sleepy.  “You’re such a goose.  You used to be a fox, ya know.  Hounds’d have to chase after ya.  Now you’re just a whining goose flying right in front of the guns just waitin’ for it, well see if I help ya now.”

“Talkin’ nonsense,” Thomas mumbled.

Jimmy kicked his legs under the covers.  He tried to think of something worse to say.  Something to at least make Thomas as angry as he was.  “No, you’re worse than a goose,” he went on.  “You’re…you’re some crying stray cat just waiting to get picked up by a flapper on a scavenger hunt.”

“ _What_?” Now Thomas’s voice rose a couple of confused octaves.

“A scavenger hunt,” Jimmy said, punching his blankets. “Ya never listen.  I told you Peter Faring went to one…  It’s for charity.  They go lookin’ for odd useless junk and bring it back to win some silly prize…”

A few seconds passed before they both sat up in bed at the same time and looked at each other.  Thomas turned the light back on.

“Thomas!”

“That’s what we should do,” Thomas whispered slowly.

Jimmy felt a happy little thrill that Thomas had said “we” instead of “I.”  Yes, they were in it all together even if Thomas was being a pouty bear about things.  

“Yes!” Jimmy agreed.

“People like charity things,” Thomas said, frowning, as he worked it out.  “And it’d be their money, not Schiller’s.”

“Yeah!”

“And the prizes would be donated…”

“Yeah!”

Thomas’s eyes widened. He looked up at Jimmy as relief and inspiration dawned.  “Jimmy…  That’s  _perfect_ _._ ”

Jimmy grinned at him.  “‘Course it is.  They’ll go mad for it.  We’ll plan it all tomorrow, won’t we?” The light was back in Thomas’s eyes.

_Phew._

Thomas tackled him into the blankets and peppered his face with kisses.  “I’m sorry, my love! I’m sorry I’ve been awful!”

“Yes, you have!”

“No, truly!  You’re a genius!” He kissed Jimmy’s ear and his neck and his chin.  “ You’re lovely!  I love you-”

“I know that, idiot.  You’re just lucky you have me, aren’t ya?”

“Yes, very,” Thomas murmured into his chest.

“Well, try to remember that next time I lose a few quid on the ponies.”

Thomas chuckled and bit Jimmy’s nipple through his pajamas.  He curled up behind Jimmy and wrapped an arm around him.  “I’m very sorry.”

“You would’ve thought of somethin’,” Jimmy said, turning out the light again.  Thomas kissed the back of his neck.  “And it’s gonna pick up in summer again.  Schiller hasn’t got anything better to do but worry.”

“That’s the problem with success though,” Thomas said, and squeezed Jimmy tight.  “As soon as you have it, you spend the rest of your life thinking you’ll lose it.”

“That’s why you’ve got me around,” Jimmy said and clasped Thomas’s hand against his own chest.  “Ought to let me help more.”

“I’ll try to remember.”

Jimmy closed his eyes, Thomas warm and solid all around him.  “Silly goose.”

 


End file.
